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mads_reads_books's review
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Abortion and Pregnancy
Minor: Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, and War
jennyv1822's review
adventurous
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Medical trauma, and Abandonment
Moderate: Abortion
kaetheluise_nckl's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Grief
Moderate: Body shaming, Confinement, and Fatphobia
Minor: Medical content, War, and Injury/Injury detail
CW provided by author: Abuse/neglect (mental/emotional, parent to child, historical), spousal death (historical, non-graphic, off-page), explicit sex, vomit (non-graphic), pregnancy termination (non-graphic), incidental injuries for magical purposes, grief, body shaming (historical, referenced briefly), reference to age play and to DDlg, slight dollification, use of unconventional gagkamreadsandrecs's review
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Oh, but this was FUN! Much more fun than The Dragon’s Bride, imo, for a couple of reasons.
First reason: the narrative was stronger in this one than in The Dragon’s Bride. not to say that the first book was told badly, but I just liked how this one hung together, as it were. It just seemed better-told over all, than the first book.
Second reason: I liked the characters more. I liked the way Catalina’s inner angst was portrayed, and ngl I felt as if I could relate to some degree to what she was going through. The disbelief, especially, is something I relate to very, very hard. Thane, too, was interesting, though I personally found that their inner angst was a bit…idk. Broken too swiftly? Like, I know that processing grief is different for other people, and that for some it can take a VERY long time to finally get a handle on it while some people seem to manage it just fine in a couple of weeks, but a part of me wishes there’d been more time given over to exploring that angst. But then again, I’m a slowburn kinda gal, so that might just be personal preference. Would’ve also given more time to explore Catalina’s emotional baggage too, maybe given more room to portray how Thane helped with that - not fixed it, of course, since love and sex don’t fix deep emotional wounds, but it would have been nice to see how Catalina progressed and changed.
I’m also gonna have to say I liked that this novel portrayed a couple actively choosing to be child-free. Sometimes in some other novels, one or both characters will say they don’t want children, only for twu wuv to somehow change that stance and boom! By the end they’ve got one or two kids with more on the way. And yes, yes, I KNOW that for some people that does actually happen, that meeting the right person at the right time can soften one’s stance regarding having kids if one didn’t want to have them before, but I appreciate how the characters in THIS novel stuck to their guns about not having them, and how Thane really respected Catalina’s decision on the matter and didn’t try to get her to change her mind. I also appreciate how it portrayed abortion as something any woman should be able to get, regardless of WHY she’s getting it.
Since it appears that this series gets better with every succeeding book, I’ve got high hopes for the third book in the series - not least because that gargoyle man looks pretty attractive.
First reason: the narrative was stronger in this one than in The Dragon’s Bride. not to say that the first book was told badly, but I just liked how this one hung together, as it were. It just seemed better-told over all, than the first book.
Second reason: I liked the characters more. I liked the way Catalina’s inner angst was portrayed, and ngl I felt as if I could relate to some degree to what she was going through. The disbelief, especially, is something I relate to very, very hard. Thane, too, was interesting, though I personally found that their inner angst was a bit…idk. Broken too swiftly? Like, I know that processing grief is different for other people, and that for some it can take a VERY long time to finally get a handle on it while some people seem to manage it just fine in a couple of weeks, but a part of me wishes there’d been more time given over to exploring that angst. But then again, I’m a slowburn kinda gal, so that might just be personal preference. Would’ve also given more time to explore Catalina’s emotional baggage too, maybe given more room to portray how Thane helped with that - not fixed it, of course, since love and sex don’t fix deep emotional wounds, but it would have been nice to see how Catalina progressed and changed.
I’m also gonna have to say I liked that this novel portrayed a couple actively choosing to be child-free. Sometimes in some other novels, one or both characters will say they don’t want children, only for twu wuv to somehow change that stance and boom! By the end they’ve got one or two kids with more on the way. And yes, yes, I KNOW that for some people that does actually happen, that meeting the right person at the right time can soften one’s stance regarding having kids if one didn’t want to have them before, but I appreciate how the characters in THIS novel stuck to their guns about not having them, and how Thane really respected Catalina’s decision on the matter and didn’t try to get her to change her mind. I also appreciate how it portrayed abortion as something any woman should be able to get, regardless of WHY she’s getting it.
Since it appears that this series gets better with every succeeding book, I’ve got high hopes for the third book in the series - not least because that gargoyle man looks pretty attractive.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Sexual content
Moderate: Body shaming, Death, Vomit, and Abortion
reference to age play and to DDlg, slight dollification, use of unconventional gagskaurgo's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Abortion, Pregnancy, and Abandonment
Minor: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Death of parent
a_libra_library's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Abortion, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
lamoralibrary's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I didn't like this as much as The Dragon's Bride. The spice was good and kept it afloat (haha) but I didn't really like Catalina all that much and the conversations between her and Thane filled with deliberate misunderstanding and self pity got very circular very quickly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Abortion
Minor: Body shaming
dragnfary's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Abortion, and Abandonment
bryelle's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Omg. This book is so good. I loved how relatable these characters were. They were doing with their past traumas while also navigating a new relationship.
Catilina makes a deal with a demon to get away from mother and get money to live happily. Thane is a kraken humanoid who has closed himself off after his husband died. Lina just wants to be given love since she was not provided it as a child and her adult life. She has been the person everyone thinks needs to change to be loved. While Thane is very blunt now that his husband passed. Thane doesn’t know why but he wants to make Lina happy and safe but feels like being away from him is the answer to that.
They finally see that they could both be happy but they just stop blaming themselves for everything. They learn to communicate better and their their second chance at a happily ever after.
Catilina makes a deal with a demon to get away from mother and get money to live happily. Thane is a kraken humanoid who has closed himself off after his husband died. Lina just wants to be given love since she was not provided it as a child and her adult life. She has been the person everyone thinks needs to change to be loved. While Thane is very blunt now that his husband passed. Thane doesn’t know why but he wants to make Lina happy and safe but feels like being away from him is the answer to that.
They finally see that they could both be happy but they just stop blaming themselves for everything. They learn to communicate better and their their second chance at a happily ever after.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Abortion, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Body shaming and Death
ribbitingreads's review
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I really loved this book. I think it is even better than the first. Just a very tender story of two individuals learning to love again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Body shaming, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Vomit, and Abortion
Abuse/neglect (mental/emotional, parent to child, historical), spousal death (historical, non-graphic, off-page), explicit sex, vomit (non-graphic), pregnancy termination (non-graphic), incidental injuries for magical purposes, grief, body shaming (historical, referenced briefly), reference to age play and to DDlg, slight dollification, use of unconventional gag